


Food For Thought

by TantalumCobalt



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Clintasha - Freeform, Clintasha Week, Dining, F/M, Food, head canon, tradition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 00:32:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6543127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TantalumCobalt/pseuds/TantalumCobalt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts as a bet and ends as a tradition </p><p>-</p><p>Headcanon: Whenever they go out, Clint orders for Nat and Nat orders for Clint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Food For Thought

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit late, but here's my contribution for Clintasha Week Day 2: Headcanon 
> 
> Enjoy and please leave feedback in the comments :)

Natasha Romanoff is flexible. Physically flexible, but also flexible in the things she likes. Colours, for example. She doesn't particular like the colour pink but if the situation calls for it she can make it her favourite colour. Mornings, as well. Usually she's a morning person, but sometime she's a sleep-late-and-not-want-to-get-up person.

Food, though, is where she draws the line.

"I don't eat mushrooms," she tells Clint. No room for argument.

They're sitting in a booth at the back of a little Ma and Pa diner in Connecticut. Officially, they're waiting for post-mission instructions about extraction. Unofficially, they're satisfying Clint's craving for blueberry pancakes. Natasha had disappeared to the bathroom to wash off a few spots of blood (not hers) that she'd missed when they cleaned up earlier and when she'd returned Clint had already ordered her an omelette. An omlette with mushrooms.

Clint is calm in the face of her displeasure. "I know. That's why I ordered it without mushrooms."

She blinks. "You know I don't like mushrooms?"

"Yeah."

Natasha reluctantly gives him a little credit. He's more observant than she thought. (Well with a name like Hawkeye...)

So the omlette comes without mushrooms and it's actually pretty good. Clint watched her across the table, a grin in his eyes. Natasha endures it for almost ten minutes before she cracks.

"Okay, what?"

The grin spreads from his eyes to his lips. "Aren't you gonna admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"That I know you."

Is that a challenge? It sounds like a challenge. Her eyes narrow. His grin widens. Oh yeah definitely a challenge.

She leans back, one eyebrow arched. "Okay, Barton, if you think you're so good, tell me what I like," she dares. "But I bet I know you better than you know me."

And that's how it starts.

\--

In a four star restaurant in Bangkok, he orders her a green papaya salad. It's not as appetising as the menu made it sound, which might have something to do with the fact that she doesn't like papaya.

("But you ate it on that mission in Guadalajara."

"I'd never tried it before."

"But you said it was nice."

"That's what Sanchez expected me to say."

"So you don't like papaya?"

"No."

"Aw damn.")

She orders him Gai Yang. He's kind enough to offer her some because he stuffed up her order and she has to admit that it's pretty damn good. If the way he scrapes his plate clean is any indication, Clint thinks so too.

One point for Natasha.

\--

In a crappy back alley burger joint in Hamberg, he orders her chicken sliders with chips on the side ("no salt, please") instead of salad.

She orders him a chicken burger with all the fillings. In hindsight, she probably should have double checked what exactly all the fillings were...

"I don't like beetroot."

"I know."

"Then why did you order me something with beetroot?"

As an apology she lets him have one of her sliders. They're good, almost too good to share, but she's trying out this being nice thing and his wide grin is reward enough for giving up some of her food.

One point for Barton.

\--

They have some down time after an undercover op in Sydney and somehow they end up at the markets. Natasha peruses the stalls until she finds one selling confectionary. Clint is distracted elsewhere - the fresh food section maybe? - so she digs out the Australian dollars she's sure she has in her handbag and buys him a present.

He's talking to a stall owner when she finds him five minutes later. There are three tables displaying wood carvings of animals and plants and god knows what else and for a moment she wonders what it is that he's interested in. Then she sees the boomerangs hanging on the back wall.

"No," she says firmly.

He send her a pleading gaze. "Come on Tasha..."

"No." Coulson would kill her if she let her partner bring a boomerang back to SHIELD again. "Have you forgotten what happened last time?"

Barton shrugs. "Just because my technique was a little off..."

"A little?" She asks incredulously. "You almost took out Fury's one good eye!"

So she drags him away from the store despite his protests. She'd rather not infuriate their boss thank you very much (even if it was kind of a little funny in hindsight - not funny enough  for a repeat performance though).

"I bought you a present," she offers once they're one their way back to the hotel.

He peeks into the bag she's carrying and frowns. "Rocky road? You know I don't like marshmallows, Nat."

She rolls her eyes. Yes, she does know he doesn't like marshmallows. That's why the rocky road isn't for him. "The rocky road is mine," she tells him "Yours is underneath."

His sharp eyes peek through the plastic again, seeking out the present hiding beneath her chocolate. "Nougat?" He asks with a grin. "Aw Nat you really do know the way to a man's heart."

She smiles back, letting the fondness creep into her voice. "I know the way to your heart," she corrects. 

"I got you a present as well," he says, holding up his own bag as proof. A quick glance reveals it to be full of plums. Her smile widens. It would appear that he knows the way to her heart as well.

\--

At some point, it becomes more than just ordering each other meals, or buying each other food-related presents.

Whenever they're at the New York base for more than a day they stay in their shared apartment and take turns cooking. She's surprised to learn that Clint actually can cook, although looking back she really shouldn't be. Nobody who loves food that much doesn't know how to cook at least basic meals.

The first night, he cooks lasagne because "I know you have a weakness for pasta, Nat." In return, she gets up early the next morning and makes gingerbread.

("I don't like-"

"You haven't tried mine."

"But-"

"Shut up and eat, Barton.")

After a few days, they sort out a schedule. Most days, Natasha does breakfast and desert while Clint does dinner, but every now and then they mix it up. And on the nights that they're both exhausted from missions they just order in, making a game of trying everything on the menu from a particular place before moving on to the next type of cuisine.

\--

The few times they're sent on separate missions, they make sure to bring back something from wherever they were. Usually just a new recipe to try, but occasionally a sample of a local delicacy as well. Natasha goes to France to track down an international arms dealer who she'd had prior dealings with while still part of the KGB and one of the locals thanks her for stopping a mugging ("it was no trouble, really") by providing her with a lifetime supply of goats cheese (well maybe not quite a lifetime supply, but there's a lot of it okay).

She spends the entire flight back to New York wondering what the hell she's spposed to do with so much goats cheese. Her partner solves the problem by confiding that he loves goats cheese, so she unburdens herself by putting it all in his fridge. Her thanks her by making omelettes with goats cheese, olives and sundried tomato. It's a win-win.

\--

Everything about the Battle of New York - about the Avengers - is impromptu. Including the decision to go out for shawarma afterwards. It's the first time in years Natasha lets someone other than Clint order for her, and only because Tony orders for everyone before they have a chance to do more than sit down. She exchanges a look with Clint and knows he's thinking exactly what she is.

"I would have ordered you the lamb instead of the beef," he whispers.

She smiles over her shoulder. "I would have ordered you the veal."

Maybe they'll come back again some time and try it their way.

\--

Most people may think ordering for each other is romantic or weird or whatever else, but she doesn't care what anyone else thinks. It's their thing, and that's all that matters.

They become part of a team and things change but not that. Steve is the first of their newfound friends to mention it (probably because he's the first to go out with them - not including the compulsory post-battle schwarna event). He doesn't bring it up until the third time they go out though. Probably something to do with the fact that they apparently give off an intimidating aura...

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Clint doesn't look up from the crossword he's pretending to do in a newspaper somebody left on the table behind them (what he's actually doing is seeing how many of the cafe's menu options he can fit in the puzzle grid). "But sure."

Natasha can tell Steve wants to roll his eyes at the response but he doesn't. She admires his restraint. "Why do you order for each other?" the super soldier asks.

She smiles, eyes meeting Clint's when he glances up at her. It's a question they've gotten from a handful of people over the years - first Coulson, then Fury, Hill, even Agent May on one memorable occasion - but they never disclose the truth because this thing they have is sacred and she knows it's illogical but she can't help thinking it will crumble away if they share it with others. That doesn't mean they can't provide their usual cryptic, often headache inducing sort-of-not-really-answers.

"Natasha doesn't like mushrooms."

"And Clint doesn't like marshmallows."

"But she loves plums."

"And he has a fondness for goats cheese."

Poor Steve looks like he regrets asking. 

\--

SHIELD collapses and everything goes to shit so Natasha calls Clint and says "let's go to dinner". 

He's halfway across the world but he just shrugs and says: " _Okay, what are you in the mood for?_ "

"Italian."

He " _hmm_ "s an agreement on the other end of the line. There's the rustle of fabric as he shifts his grip on the phone and then the sound of tapping that she assumes is a keyboard. " _La Pergola, seven p.m. tomorrow._ " A pause. " _Wear something nice."_

"I'll look for the _jastreb_  in the tux," she returns.

She doesn't have to imagine the smile she can hear in his voice. " _It's a date._ "

"See you tomorrow, _moj jastreb,_ " she says before she hangs up. They've made a mess in D.C., and it's repercussions are likely already spreading across the globe like spiderweb cracks in glass, but she doesn't think about any of that as she packs a bag, nor on the way to the airport, nor on the red eye flight she manages to get a seat on. All the problems of the world can wait. For now, she just leans back in her uncomfortable seat and wonders what meal Clint will surprise her with tomorrow night.

Maybe she'll order him risotto...

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Translations:  
> Jastreb (Russian) - hawk


End file.
